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Archive for
July, 2008

Have you ever pressed the send button in Outlook, only to suddenly realise that you forgot to add the attachment, or that you are sending it to the wrong person?

Both Outlook 2003 and 2007 have a feature, where you can attempt to recall a message, effectively unsending the email message. This has got me out of trouble in the past. It is nice to be able to add in that after thought, or to remove that risky remark.

A recalled message is invisible on the recipients computer, as long as the recall takes place before the email has been downloaded onto their computer.

This recall feature is not totally reliable. Much depends on how quickly you send the recall message. However, there is no harm in giving this a try when it is needed.

To try it out, open up your sent items folder and double click on an email message. The email will open up in a new window. In Outlook 2003, Click on the actions menu. In Outlook 2007, click Other Actions. Finally, select Recall this message. It’s that simple.

I have received many requests from readers asking how to quickly change the default audio device in Windows. This can be useful as many computers now have various audio devices which can be used. For example, you may want to use one playback device which is connected to PC speakers for playing games and Windows sounds, and another playback device which is connected to a sound system for music or movies.

Windows lets you change the device that audio is sent out of, in the Sounds and Audio options within the control panel. While this method works, it can be tedious to navigate to, especially if you want to change your playback device regularly. Many individual programs also let you choose which audio device will be used for playback, but then changing the playback device within the program requires a separate set of preferences to navigate through.

I came across a couple of tools that make switching the default playback device much easier, and that offer much more control over your audio devices. These tools are System Tray Audio Device Switcher (STADS), and Quick Sound Switch (QSS). Both are great utilities, but they do things slightly differently, and both offer slightly different features.

In this article, I will run through what they both do so that you can decide which one is best for your needs.